


Cake, Slang, and Misunderstandings

by Joanna_Kay



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: (previous not current), Bullying, Gen, Misunderstandings, Team Bonding, character introspection, friendly teasing, head canon and assumptions about a character's history, misuse/odd use of slang, simplified explanation of triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 16:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30125628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joanna_Kay/pseuds/Joanna_Kay
Summary: Mateo uses some unfamiliar slang to try to fit in with the crew of 126 and it doesn't go quite as planned, but it turns into a nice team bonding moment.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25
Collections: Fan Fiction Library (Discord) Challenge #1: 20 Prompts





	Cake, Slang, and Misunderstandings

**Author's Note:**

> This is un-beta'd but has been spell and grammar checked. Any mistakes are my own.
> 
> This is a response to two separate Discord server event challenges. The first, from Fanfiction Library, was to embed the dialogue: “At least we know you aren’t made of cake.” The second, from Fanfiction HQ Event, was simply: Silence.

“Well, at least we know you aren’t made of cake, right?” Mateo Chavez's affable grin faltered as his comment was met with silence from the crew of ladder 126. The man in question, Owen Strand, merely quirking a brow at the young man before shaking his head and venturing up to his office. They had all just sat through one of Captain Owen Strand's specialties: an unofficial meeting that was little more than just sitting around chatting. It was an open forum to bring up any small annoyances before they escalated, but Strand also wanted to know how everyone was doing in their private lives. Not prying, just making sure they were steady, didn't have any major worries or concerns.

Captain Strand was a firm believer that private upheavals could affect the health and safety of everyone in the crew, not just the initial people going through it.

He also firmly believed that the 126 was a family in and of itself, not by blood but by choice and by fire.

It was a sentiment that Mateo truly appreciated, almost as much as Captain Strand willing to give him a chance to actually be a firefighter, his lifelong dream.

Almost, because nothing was as good as finally being a firefighter and finally making a difference in people's lives. (Even if everyone called him 'Probie' and he was often asked to do the things that the others didn't want to do, like maintenance, washing the rigs, and even washing the restrooms. It was okay, his time would come.)

Mateo looked around at his silent comrades and strengthened his grin. This was just them messing with him again. “He's not cake, right?” He watched as Marjan and TK exchanged glances before looking over at Paul. Judd was just watching the scene with a raised eyebrow as if to ask what on earth was going on. In another few moments, Marjan began to laugh. It began as a chuckle and then grew into a chortle, quickly joined in by the others present.

Mateo stopped grinning, his face changing into the blank mask he had perfected throughout a childhood and teenage years behind told he was slow. The falsely sympathetic judgments from his teachers and parents had been entwined with years upon years of bullying for being an immigrant, for speaking with an accent, for being stupid. It hadn't mattered why his classmates had bullied him, just that they had found an excuse to try to prove their superiority by shoving him down face first into the scalding Texas dirt.

He cursed silently as he felt heat creep up the back of his neck, knowing that it was going to turn the tips of his ears red before working its way across his face. A visual sign of the distress he was under. It had always been that way, when he got upset: his body giving subtle cues to his tormentors even as he strove to show that nothing they did could bother him.

This, though? This bothered him way more than any teenage bullies, even more than the time they had locked him in a locker and he wasn't found until the night janitor came in to close the school. He had thought that he was accepted here, never mind the fact that more often than not he was on the sidelines. He'd thought that they did that to protect him a bit, since he was the newest and had the least experience.

It had only been a few minutes, but Mateo had already had quite enough. He stood gingerly, on one hand with purpose but on the other not wanting to be noticed. He could feel his shoulders curling inwards, hunching him over into the defeated posture he'd thought he'd left behind years ago after countless hours at the gym. It was the body language of a victim, he knew, reminiscent of a kicked puppy, and he had trained himself for hours in front of the mirrors at home until he no longer automatically assumed the position.

He began to brush past the still laughing members of his team (he was still a part of the team, right? ) only to be stopped by Paul Strickland, the man from Chicago grabbing hold of Mateo's hand as he attempted to leave the circle. Mateo attempted to pull away but Paul was a trained firefighter and strong enough to keep hold even as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Probie,” he wheezed before taking a deep, calming breath. “Mateo. We're not laughing at you, buddy.” Paul paused a moment and shrugged apologetically. “Okay, we are laughing at you a little. We've just,” he paused a brief moment, looking at each of their colleagues, “never heard a phrase like that.”

Mateo frowned. They were laughing at what he had said instead of at him. That was new, he mused. Still uncomfortable but it might be better than them laughing at him directly. “It's slang, right? Cake means ass. And drugs,” he elaborated quickly, wanting to show that he knew what he was talking about.

“Well, yeah,” TK agreed. “It's just not normally used like that, in that context.”

Mateo pursed his lips and silently agreed, assuming that if anyone knew the right way to use slang, it would be the young man from New York City. That was a city hopping with clubs and trendy hot spots, with Burroughs and tourists from all over America and the world. Mateo had seen enough movies and TV shows set there to know that New York was a prime, coveted place.

It made the Strands defection of their home even more confusing to Mateo, but he kept his mouth shut about that. He was just glad that they had come to Austin and breathed new life in 126 and the entire community, not just Mateo himself. Asking too many questions might remind one or both of them about how much they loved living in New York and they might decide to leave.

“Mateo,” Paul began again, “we're all a family, right? Brothers and sisters?” Paul nodded towards Marjan, the lone female on the crew that wasn't on the EMT side of things. Paul waited as Mateo glanced at each person in turn before finally looking at Paul and nodding uncertainly. “We're still getting to know each other. It feels quicker, since we put our lives in each others hands, but we all still have... triggers.”

“A trigger is just something that can cause an intense response, emotional or physical,” Marjan broke in, hoping to head any questions off before Mateo derailed what Paul was trying to say.

Paul nodded his thanks to Marjan and looked over Mateo with a practiced eye. “Right. We triggered you somehow. For that, we all apologize.” He paused as the others all chimed in.

Each word of sincere acknowledgment of Mateo's feelings causing the boulder on his chest to break away in pieces and get lighter and lighter.

“I'm guessing you were bullied. I'm not putting you on the spot, Probie! I don't need details unless you ever want to talk about it,” he stressed. “Just,” he gestured towards Mateo, causing the other man to pull himself out of the defensive pose he had adopted, “you definitely have the body language down,” he shrugged apologetically.

“Probie, you're not the only one who's been bullied, trust me.”

Mateo could feel his jaw drop as he surveyed the team. Each and every one of them was always so forthright and self-assured and confident. Everything that Mateo himself desperately tried to portray even though he knew he fell short of the mark. He couldn't fathom such a concept.

Paul laughed ruefully and gestured towards himself. “Trans. I can tell you that being a teenager was hard. Actually transitioning and having to face people was even harder sometimes.”

TK raised a hand. “Gay.” It was enough for Mateo. He had seen a lot of the hate out there, even as a straight man, and was lucky enough to live in a fairly understanding city.

“Muslim and fabulous,” Marjan asserted from her side, flipping her head as if she was flipping long hair over her shoulder.

“Married a black woman,” Judd shrugged when they all looked over at him. “Not all Texans are happy with mixed marriages, even in the 20th century. Don't even get me started on Captain Strand.”

TK interrupted with an indignant “Hey!” at the perceived slight against his father.

“Oh, come on,” Judd rolled his eyes at TK and then winked at Mateo. “I've never met a man so passionate about moisturizer.” the last word was almost said as a curse.

“The point here is,” Paul interrupted before TK could really get going on the topic of his father, “that we're all family. We've all had to deal with some pretty heavy stuff. But, Probie? You're not going to have to deal with that here, with us.” It was a promise, one that he knew would be backed up by every person present even as he made it without their input. “We may laugh at something you say, but it's all in fun. Not because we think you're stupid or any other reason. It's just because families pick and tease occasionally.”

“If we cross a line, you gotta let us know, Probie,” Marjan agreed.

“We've all got things that others gotta put up with,” Judd chimed in, “things that we may tease you about with a good nature.”

Mateo considered the idea, tugging a full lip between his teeth and nibbling for a second before looking over at Judd. He was by far the most gruff of the crew, the only native Texan and a man still mourning the loss of his previous crew-mates. “Like an older brother.”

“Just like that, Probie,” he agreed. “So we may tease you about your slang... or TK about that train wreck of a relationship he has going with Carlos,” he ignored the second indignant noise coming from the young man, “or Marjan about her bein' such a publicity hog. That doesn't mean we don't got your back. You just gotta tell us if we cross a line.”

Mateo took a deep breath and looked around. Each and every person surrounding him was smiling in encouragement. Looking into their eyes, Mateo couldn't see a single indication that they were lying in any way, shape or form. Hesitant, he nodded, flinching only slightly when Paul pulled him into a one-armed hug.

“Great! Now, just, Probie... come to one of us when you want to learn some new slang.” Paul glanced over his shoulder in consideration. “Maybe not Judd.”

The raucous laughter from everyone, including Mateo, at the Texan's expense had Owen Strand peering down at them from his office above with a shake of his head.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!
> 
> Any feedback is appreciated!


End file.
